1977 Puch Newport resto thread

I enjoy THIS Honda Express so much, that one moped just isn't enough... besides, it didn't need much work to be done on it so what fun is that! not much... for a gearhead like myself.
My BMW is almost done.
My Honda Express is in perfect shape... so what to do? i got myself a wrecked moped (throw a kit on that bitch, just got myself a moped).

Found this on my way to work:


Talked a reasonable price with the PO (cool kid), hopped the bike on the trunk of my car and off i went.
Needs lots of work, haven't done the first run around yet, don't even know if it runs (PO says it does, but...), in the meantime, more pics:













Wish me luck!

it looks like it was "rode hard and put away wet."

i've had two puchs, both late 70's. picked them up in the mid-80's for a total of $200 between them.

they were a lot of fun but then i tucked them into the back of the garage and there they sat for nearly 15 years.

some guy on the local craig's list put up an ad wanting the buy old mopeds. i needed the space and sold them to him for a $150.

have fun in your project.

I think this is going to be easier than i thought, this moped's fall apart almost by themselves.
Today i was aiming at taking the engine off... instead i ended up with a bare frame and a semi-clean engine.

Halfway there:


Yikes! (gotta visit ebay):


Cleaned frame:


Engine went from this:



To this in a few minutes:

Wow! This nostalgic. I used to sell, service and ride Puchs when I worked in a bicycle shop in California in the 1970s. My mother bought and rode a Newport, which I inherited and sold to a friend here in Idaho. It ran great!

Good luck.

I know i jumped a few steps, here's the update... almost done.






A few things are in transit from ebay... tank has lots of rust in it.

rusty gas tanks can be a bitch. i'd heard of people dropping BB's and such and shaking the shit out of it. others talked about dribbling in sealants, rotating the tank to get it stirred around and left it to dry.

slickest way i ever heard of was when i talking to a guy here in the neighborhood that rebuilt a puch.

i asked if the gas tank was rusty and he told me it was in terrible shape. i asked how he solved the problem and he told me he just installed a filter in the gas line between the tank and the carb and swapped out the filter whenever it started acting like it was running out of gas.

I have a 1980 Puch Newport ZA50 2 speed. It is still in near perfect mechanical condition, and has never been crashed, nothing bent, virtually no rust. It is a bit weathered, it was left out in the AZ sun for a while. Sidecovers and a few other cosmetic parts are missing. I have not ridden it in some time, It is parked in my bedroom right now, with the gas tank full of oil to prevent rust.

The best way I have found to deal with a badly rusted tank is to first clean out all traces of gas and oil residue (a product called Castrol Superclean works great for this, used full strength) then rinse it out thoroughly with water, and fill it with full strength muriatic acid, and let it soak for 24 hours. This is guaranteed to get rid of ALL the rust, but if it was bad enough, you may find pinhole leaks. If this happens on a moped frame, I would toss it. It can be sealed, but the tank is a structural part of the frame, and if it is almost rusted through, I can see it breaking in half while being ridden.

I've done some reading on the subject, and the muriatic acid is the one i chose, plus I'll add an inline filter too.
All those inside chem linings and such seem like a headache, plus I've read og filters gunking up on the red stuff, maybe they don't install it as it should or something. The one with the electrified metal rod made me laugh, I'm not saying it does'nt work, but i'll guess i'll have more trouble trying float a rod inside the tank without touching walls... too much hassle.

Thanks for the heads up on the leaky holes, I'll keep an eye on that.

I ve seen online some site in the usa sells puch parts but can't remember the name.

1977 mopeds and treatland would be the main ones.

nice puch, ive got 4, check it

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=869705

I have built several mopeds, they are all gone now. I only have one left now. mopedarmy.com and mopedriders.org are 2 good information sites. Puch is the best known and most common moped brand out there, especially the Maxi/Newport stepthrough design. You can find all the parts you want, many of them new. I also recommend mopedwarehouse.com (Chris actually loaned me the tools I needed to rebuild my ZA50) and themopedjunkyard.com

I'm pretty sure that's the model of the first thing I ever rode on the street, a Puch rental on Senior Trip right after high school. I hope it turns out well for you.

Puch mopeds are tough. They have been ridden around the world. The only problems I ever had with mine was the Bing carb float bowl gasket leaking, and the pedal chain tensioner bending/breaking. I finally made a tensioner that didn't fail, but the carb bowl still leaks sometimes. Seems like the new gaskets you can get for them don't fit right. The Bing carb does not have a choke, it actually has a tickler, just like the old Amal carbs on British bikes. I'm actually getting more and more interested in getting mine out and getting it going again.

Des Moines, Iowa, craigs list advertising lots of NOS puch parts:

http://desmoines.craigslist.org/mcy/3646191601.html

i'm in no way associated with the person doing the listing - just happened to spot it this morning.

Dragged my Puch out of storage today and got it running. Pictures tomorrow. Now I just have to get it registered ($11) and insured ($20 a year) and I'm in business. 120+ mpg.

Here are the pictures of my Puch Newport. I don't have it registered yet, but I have it up and running, and been riding it around the neighborhood. It rides like new. Notice the rectangular cover on the right side of the motor. This is the ZA50 2 speed model. It is a centrifugally controlled transmission, it upshifts when road speed reaches a certain point, usually about 12-15 mph. Keep the speed down, keep it in first gear, and I have never found anything that it won't climb. It zips right up long steep grades that stalls my Vino 125 out. And with only 50cc and 2 hp. Gearing is everything.

Everything is basically stock, I rebuilt the whole thing end to end a few years ago. The handlebar switches are all gone, the twist on wire connectors are there because I have the headlight and tail light wired directly to the lighting coil. The toggle switch in the box is the ignition on-off. The seat is from a cruiser style bicycle, but comfortable enough for all day rides. I did 2 week rides on this back several years ago. Each saddlebag will hold a one gallon flat oil jug, I use one of them to carry an extra gallon of premix, the other has the top cut out to hold parts and tools. Plus you can carry whatever you want on top and in a backpack. On nice flat roads you can make 200 miles a day on this thing easily.

Ive got a 76 (I think) Motobecane Mobylette moped front end here somewhere,it could be made to fit I bet. Possibly a wheel but not sure.

The Moby is French, the Puch is Austrian. Everything is different. I've owned a couple of Moby 50Vs. Nice mopeds, they have a variator, similar to a CVT. But the electrics and Gurtner carb sucks You can get all the parts you need for a Puch from themopedjunkyard.com. If you want a really nice set of forks, check these out. http://www.1977mopeds.com/puch-ebr-hydraulic-forks.html 1977Mopeds also has tons of Puch parts, both stock and aftermarket, like the forks.

That's impressive. Especially since you didn't buy it until 2007.

http://216.92.20.236/forums/read.php?1,370603,370603#msg-370603

Evaporust. Sold at auto part stores. Really really good stuff. Amazing actually.

Safe. Biodegradable. Almost no odor.

Good stuff.

We use it at work.

Rod